Tuesday –
Year 2 Advent 1
Evening Prayer
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
As it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
O gracious
light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O
Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of
the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your
praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at
all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of
Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Psalms
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why
do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the
wicked persecute the poor—
let them be
caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their
heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce
the Lord.
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say,
‘God will not seek it out’;
all
their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’
5 Their ways prosper at all times;
your
judgements are on high, out of their sight;
as
for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their
heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
throughout
all generations we shall not meet adversity.’
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and
oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and
iniquity.
8 They sit in ambush in the villages;
in
hiding-places they murder the innocent.
Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its
covert;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
they
seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10 They stoop, they crouch,
and
the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart,
‘God has forgotten,
he has hidden his
face, he will never see it.’
12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your
hand;
do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do
the wicked renounce God,
and say in their
hearts, ‘You will not call us to account’?
14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and
grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
the
helpless commit themselves to you;
you have
been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and
evildoers;
seek out their wickedness until you
find none.
16 The Lord is king for ever and ever;
the
nations shall perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the
meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will
incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the
oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike
terror no more.*
1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to
me,
‘Flee like a bird to the mountains;*
2 for look, the wicked bend the bow,
they
have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot
in the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are
destroyed,
what can the righteous do?’
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the
Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes
behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5 The Lord tests the
righteous and the wicked,
and his soul hates the
lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and
sulphur;
a scorching wind shall be the portion
of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous
deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Reading
Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body,* to refresh your memory, since I know that my death* will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved,* with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.*
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
My
soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly
servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the
Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He
has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has
shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in
their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
*
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with
good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come
to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his
promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to
Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be for ever. Amen.
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was
buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose
again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the
dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection
of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom
come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive
those
who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for
ever. Amen.
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That
we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be
condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That
we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in
the communion of
all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to
Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: The First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Mission
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2
Corinthians 13:14